Breaking down is usually hard to do The direct conversion of lignin into alkanes and methanol was carried out in a two-step process (hydogenolysis and hydrogenation) involving initial treatment of white birch wood sawdust with H2 in dioxane/water/phosphoric acid using Rh/C as the catalyst. The resulting monomers and dimers obtained by selective C=O hydrogenolysis were then hydrogenated in near-critical water employing Pd/C as the catalyst.